Magnetic Scaffold Tie

ABSTRACT

A magnetic scaffold tie for coupling a scaffold to a tank, wall or beam. The mount has a base platform having an upper planar face and a lower open face and at least one sidewall, at least one magnet coupled between the upper planar portion and lower open face, and proximate an end of the sidewall, a release bar coupled to a release mechanism, the release bar having a plurality of positions. A coupling extension is provided having a first end coupled to and extending substantially orthogonally from the upper planar portion of the platform and a second end of the coupling extension having a scaffold coupling mechanism, such as a clamp, quick release clamp or wedge head.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to scaffolds and scaffold anchor points. Scaffolds are used, inter alia, in the industrial, commercial, petro-chemical, power source, general industry and residential construction markets.

BACKGROUND

Tube and coupler scaffolds are so-named because they are built from tubing connected by coupling devices, Due to their strength they are frequently used where heavy loads need to be carried or where multiple platforms must reach several stones high. Components of scaffolds include vertical standards having coupling rings or rosettes. horizontal components such as ledgers and guardrails coupled to the coupling rings or rosettes, footings, decks/platforms and diagonal braces. Their versatility, which enables them to be assembled in multiple directions in a variety of settings, also makes them difficult to build correctly.

Conventional scaffolding systems have various components. FIG. 1 illustrates a supported scaffold 100 consisting of one or more platforms supported by rigid support members such as poles, tubes, beams, brackets, posts, frames and the like. More specifically, the supported scaffold 100 includes the following components: deck/platform 101, horizontal members, or ledgers 102, vertical standards 103. Additional components include diagonal braces to increase the stiffness and rigidity of the scaffold 100.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a vertical standard 103. Vertical standards are typically cylindrical tubes 200 comprised of hot-dip galvanized steel or aluminum, A collar with an expanded or reduced diameter or a spigot at either or both ends of the vertical standard facilitates the joining of vertical standards from end to end. Rosettes 201 are positioned and then welded or otherwise attached along the tubes providing connections for horizontal members and diagonal braces. The vertical standard can have from one to 8 or more rosettes placed along the tubing using a predetermined spacing between rosettes, for example, about every 20 inches.

FIG. 3 illustrates a ledger 102. A ledger is a horizontal member that serves as both a guardrail and bracing element. The ledger 102 is comprised of tubing 300, heads 301 and wedges 302. Ledgers 102 are available in different lengths, depending on the scaffolding bay length, deck type and load, Once the tubing is installed decks or platforms 101 made of, e.g., hot-dip galvanized steel, aluminum, wood or an aluminum frame with plywood board are installed to allow workers to traverse the scaffold 100 and install the guardrails (e.g., ledgers 102). Heads 103 can take a variety of shapes, including wedge heads as seen in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,439

Rare-earth magnets are strong permanent magnets made from alloys of rare earth elements. Rare-earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnets made, producing significantly stronger magnetic fields than other types such as ferrite or alnico magnets. The magnetic field typically produced by rare-earth magnets can be in excess of 1.4 teslas, whereas ferrite or ceramic magnets typically exhibit fields of 0.5 to 1 tesla. There are two types: neodymium magnets and samarium-cobalt magnets. Rare earth magnets are extremely brittle and also vulnerable to corrosion, so they are usually plated or coated to protect them from breaking and chipping.

The rare earth (lanthanide) elements are metals that are ferromagnetic, meaning that like iron they can be permanently magnetized, but their Curie temperatures are below room temperature, so in pure form their magnetism only appears at low temperatures. However, they form compounds with the transition metals such as iron, nickel, and cobalt, and some of these have Curie temperatures well above room temperature. Rare earth magnets are made from these compounds.

The advantage of the rare earth compounds over other magnets is that their crystalline structures have very high magnetic anisotropy. This means that a crystal of the material is easy to magnetize in one particular direction, but resists being magnetized in any other direction.

Atoms of rare earth elements can retain high magnetic moments in the solid state. This is a consequence of incomplete filling of the f-shell, which can contain up to 7 unpaired electrons with aligned spins. Electrons in such orbitals are strongly localized and therefore easily retain their magnetic moments and function as paramagnetic centers. Magnetic moments in other orbitals are often lost due to the strong overlap with their neighboring electrons; for example, electrons participating in covalent bonds form pairs with zero net spin. High magnetic moments at the atomic level in combination with a stable alignment (high anisotropy) of those atoms results in a high magnetic field strength.

Some important properties used to compare permanent magnets are: remanence (Br), which measures the strength of the magnetic field; coercively (Hci), the material's resistance to becoming demagnetized; energy product (BHmax), the density of magnetic energy; and Curie temperature (Tc), the temperature at which the material loses its magnetism. Rare earth magnets have higher remanence, much higher coercively and energy product, but (for neodymium) lower Curie temperature than other types.

Samarium-cobalt magnets (chemical formula: SmCo5), the first family of rare earth magnets invented, are less used than neodymium magnets because of their higher cost and weaker magnetic field strength. However, samarium-cobalt has a higher Curie temperature, creating a niche for these magnets in applications where high field strength is needed at high operating temperatures. They are highly resistant to oxidation, but sintered samarium-cobalt magnets are brittle and prone to chipping and cracking and may fracture when subjected to thermal shock.

Neodymium magnets, invented in the 1980s, are the strongest and most affordable type of rare-earth magnet. They are made of an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron: (Nd2Fe14B) Neodymium magnets are used in numerous applications requiring strong, compact permanent magnets, such as electric motors for cordless tools, hard drives, and magnetic holddowns and jewelry clasps. They have the highest magnetic field strength and have a higher coercively (which makes them magnetically stable), but have lower Curie temperature and are more vulnerable to oxidation than samarium-cobalt magnets. Use of protective surface treatments such as gold, nickel, zinc and tin plating and epoxy resin coating can provide corrosion protection where required.

The greater force exerted by rare earth magnets creates hazards that are not seen with other types of magnet. Magnets larger than a few centimeters are strong enough to cause injuries to body parts pinched between two magnets or a magnet and a metal surface

What is desired is a mechanism using the properties of magnets to couple and secure a scaffold structure in unconventional locations such as inside boilers, metal tanks or proximate steel or metal beams, including l-beams for use in power plants, boilers, on bridges, offshore platforms, petrochemical plants, tank farms, heavy industrial complexes and construction sites.

SUMMARY

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined herein and in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the invention may be obtained by reference to the following Detailed Description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings. wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional scaffold structure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional vertical standard;

FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional ledger;

FIG. 4 is a first view of a first aspect of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a second view of the first aspect of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a third view of the first aspect of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a fourth view of the first aspect of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a first view of a second aspect of the invention,

FIG. 9 is a second view of a second aspect of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a third view of a second aspect of the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is a magnetic scaffold tie that serves as a point to anchor a scaffold which has been erected in unconventional locations. For example, the magnet portion of the magnetic scaffold tie can be used in a tank along an interior perimeter of tank. The invention advantageously allows a scaffold erector to install a perimeter scaffold instead of a large scaffold. A magnetic scaffold tie, when used as an anchor, takes significantly less time to install than welding, gluing, or bolting an anchorage point. Conventionally, a weld is required to anchor a scaffold, however, with use of the invention, such, an anchor point can be install in comparatively little time. The invention can be used in power plants, boilers, around bridges, with offshore platforms, petrochemical complexes, tank farms, heavy industrial areas and in the construction industry. More specifically, the invention can be used as an anchor for a scaffold in a boiler wall or tank wall. Once anchored, an erector can tighten a scaffold coupling mechanism to a scaffold vertical or horizontal member.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a first aspect of the invention is a magnetic scaffold tie 400, comprising a base platform 401 having an upper planar face 402 and a lower open face 403 and at least one sidewall 484. At least one magnet 701 (seen in FIG. 7) is coupled between the upper planar face 402 and lower open face 403. Proximate an end of the sidewall 404, a release bar 406 is coupled to a release mechanism 407. A coupling extension 408, having a first end coupled to and extending substantially orthogonally from the upper planar face 402 of the base platform 401 and a second end of the coupling extension 408 having a scaffold coupling mechanism 409.

The coupling extension 408 can, in an aspect, be extendible and retractable, using, for example, a telescoping mechanism between a first part and a second part of the coupling extension 408, or a turnbuckle operable to be extend or be retract when unscrewed or screwed, respectively. The magnetic scaffold tie 400 further has at the second end of the coupling extension, a scaffold coupling mechanism 409.

Referring to FIG. 5, the scaffold coupling mechanism 409 can comprise a clamp or it can comprise a wedge head operable to engage a rosette. FIG. 6 illustrates the invention in combination with a vertical member 601 and coupled to a wall. When the release bar 406 is actuated to remove the magnetic scaffold tie from a wall, the wall acts as a follower when the release bar 406, and hence the lobe, is moved from a first position to a second position.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the magnetic scaffold tie 400 has four sidewalls in a generally rectangular shape between the upper planar face 402 and lower open face 403. As seen in FIG. 7, the magnets can comprise rare earth magnets, further comprising a plurality of bar magnets 701 arranged in a parallel manner between the sidewalls and exposed at the lower open face 403. The magnets can be, inter alia, neodymium magnets or samarium-cobalt magnets. The magnets can be plated or coated to protect them from breaking and chipping.

Release bar 406 further comprises a cam mechanism operable to release the base platform from a surface to which it is magnetically coupled.

A rotatable shaft 412 is coupled between the face of an extension of a first sidewall and the face of an extension of a second sidewall, the second sidewall being parallel to the first sidewall. The rotatable shaft 412 is fixedly coupled to a circular cylinder 413, a longitudinal portion of interior of the circular cylindrical 413 being fixedly coupled to the rotatable shaft 412 to form a lobe. The release bar 40$ has a handle on a first end, the second end being fixedly coupled to the rotatable shaft 412, the circular cylinder 413 or both, thus operable to cause the lobe portion of the combination of rotatable shaft 412 and circular cylinder 413 to be repositioned simultaneously when the release bar is moved from a first position to a second position.

The coupling extension of the magnetic scaffold tie can further comprise a two inch diameter steel pipe, having a length of between eighteen inches and twenty four inches with a turnbuckle welded inside the steel pipe operable to allow for adjustment of the length. In a further aspect, a ground wire is coupled to the magnet operable to be coupled to a scaffold member. The invention is used erecting a scaffold in one selected from the group of power plant, boilers, bridge, offshore platform, petrochemical plant, tank farm, heavy industrial complex and construction industry.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-10, a second aspect of the invention is a magnetic scaffold tie 800, comprising a base platform 801 having an upper planar face 802 and a lower open face 803 and at least one sidewall 804. At least one magnet 805 is coupled between the upper planar face 802 and lower open face 803. As seen in FIG. 11, proximate an end of the sidewall 804, a release bar 808 is coupled to a release mechanism 807. A coupling extension 808, having a first end coupled to and extending substantially orthogonally from the upper planar face 802 of the base platform 801 and a second end of the coupling extension 808 having a ball joint 812 for coupling to a first end of shock absorber extension 813, the second end of shock absorber extension 813 coupled to scaffold coupling mechanism 809.

The combination of the coupling extension 808 and shock absorber extension 813 can, in an aspect, be extendible and retractable, using, for example, a telescoping mechanism between a first part and a second part of the coupling extension 808, or a turnbuckle operable to be extend or be retract when unscrewed or screwed, respectively. The magnetic scaffold tie 800 further comprises a scaffold coupling mechanism 809.

Referring to FIG. 9, the scaffold coupling mechanism 809 further comprises a clamp, a half clamp, a quick release clamp or it can comprise a wedge head operable to engage a rosette. The shock absorber extension 813 further comprises a hollow, cylindrical inner pipe 816, and a cylindrical outer pipe 815, the outer diameter of the inner pipe 818, being dimensioned to fit within the inner wall of outer pipe 815. In a further aspect, the length of the inner pipe 816 is substantially equivalent to that if the outer pipe 815. Within the inner pipe 816 is a compressible inner spring 902 extending between, and coupled to each of the first end and second end of shock absorber extension 813. On the outside of outer pipe 815 is tension outer spring 901 extending between, and coupled to each of the first end and second end of shock absorber extension 813. Inner spring 902 serves to counteract the outer spring 901. In an aspect, outer spring 901 is stretched and coupled to a top washer 817 on the plate coupled to scaffold coupling mechanism 809.

Bar 818 is transversely welded to inner spring 902, each end of the bar 818 extending through aligned slots 819 in a portion of the side walls of inner pipe 816 and outer pipe 815, operable to allow a user to compress the inner spring 902 and outer spring 901, thus shortening the length of shock absorber extension 813.

Referring to FIG. 10, when the release bar 806 is actuated to remove the magnetic scaffold tie from a wall, the wall acts as a follower when the release bar 806, and hence the lobe, is moved from a first position to a second position.

Referring back to FIG. 8, the magnetic scaffold tie 800 has four sidewalls in a generally rectangular shape between the upper planar face 802 and lower open face 803. Magnets 805 can comprise rare earth magnets, further comprising a plurality of bar magnets arranged in a parallel manner between the sidewalls and exposed at the lower open face 803. The magnets can be, inter alia, neodymium magnets or samarium-cobalt magnets. The magnets can be plated or coated to protect them from breaking and chipping.

Release bar 806 further comprises a cam mechanism operable to release the base platform from a surface to which it is magnetically coupled.

Similarly to FIG. 6, a rotatable shaft is coupled between the face of an extension of a first sidewall and the face of an extension of a second sidewall, the second sidewall being parallel to the first sidewall. The rotatable shaft is fixedly coupled to a circular cylinder, a longitudinal portion of interior of the circular cylindrical being fixedly coupled to the rotatable shaft to form a lobe. The release bar 906 has a handle on a first end, the second end being fixedly coupled to the rotatable shaft, the circular cylinder or both, thus operable to cause the lobe portion of the combination of rotatable shaft and circular cylinder to be repositioned simultaneously when the release bar is moved from a first position to a second position.

As seen in FIG. 11, the invention further comprises a method 1100 for anchoring a scaffold to a structure, comprising coupling a magnetic member within a base platform to a structure 1101, extending an extension member orthogonally from the base platform 1102 and coupling a clamp on a distal end of the extension member to a scaffold member 1103. The scaffold member can be a vertical or horizontal member.

The embodiments shown and described above are only exemplary. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of embodiments of the invention have been set forth in the foregoing description together with details of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only and changes may be made within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms used herein. Coupling includes, but is not limited to attaching, engaging, mounting, clamping, welding, bolting and components used for coupling include bolts and nuts, rivets, clevis, latches, clamps, welds, screws, rivets and the like. 

I claim:
 1. A magnetic scaffold tie, comprising: a base platform having an upper planar face and a lower open face and at east one sidewall; at least one magnet coupled between the upper planar portion and lower open face; proximate an end of the sidewall, a release bar coupled to a release mechanism; a coupling extension, having a first end coupled to and extending substantially orthogonally from the upper planar face of the base platform and a second end of the coupling extension coupled to a scaffold coupling mechanism; and a scaffold coupling mechanism.
 2. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 1, further comprising the coupling extension being extendible and retractable.
 3. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 4, wherein the scaffold coupling mechanism comprises one selected from the group consisting of a clamp, a quick release clamp, a half clamp and a wedge head operable to engage a rosette.
 4. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 1, further comprising four sidewalls in a generally rectangular shape between the upper planar face and lower open face.
 5. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 4, comprising a plurality of bar magnets arranged between the sidewalls and exposed at the lower open face.
 6. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 1, wherein the release bar further comprises a cam mechanism operable to release the base platform from a surface to which it is magnetically coupled.
 7. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 6, comprising the platform base having four sidewalls in a generally rectangular shape, a rotatable shaft coupled between the face of an extension of a first sidewall and the face of an extension of a second sidewall, the second sidewall being parallel to the first sidewall; a circular cylinder, a longitudinal portion of interior of the circular cylindrical being fixedly coupled to the rotatable shaft to form a lobe; the release bar, having a handle on a first end, the second end being fixedly coupled to the shaft, the circular cylinder or both, to operable to cause the lobe portion of the combination of shaft and circular cylinder to be repositioned simultaneously when the release bar is moved from a first position to a second position.
 8. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 1, wherein the magnet is a rare earth magnet.
 9. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 8, wherein the magnets are selected form the group consisting of neodymium magnets and samarium-cobalt magnets.
 10. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 1, wherein the coupling extension comprises a two inch diameter steel pipe, having a length of between eighteen inches and twenty four inches with a turnbuckle welded inside the steel pipe operable to allow for adjustment of the length.
 11. A magnetic scaffold tie, comprising: a base platform having an upper planar face and a lower open face and four sidewalls forming a generally rectangular shape; a plurality of magnets coupled between the upper planar portion and lower open face and aligned within the sidewalls; proximate an end of the sidewall, a release bar coupled to a release mechanism; a coupling extension comprised of two portions, the first portion having a first end coupled to and extending substantially orthogonally from the upper planar face of the base platform and a second end coupled to a first end of a shock absorbing portion, the second end of the shock absorbing portion having a scaffold coupling mechanism; and a scaffold coupling mechanism further comprising a clamp or half clamp.
 12. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 11, wherein the shock absorbing portion is rotatably coupled using a rotatable coupling mechanism, to the second end of the first portion, so as to freely axially rotate.
 13. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 12, wherein the rotatable coupling mechanism is a ball joint.
 14. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 11 wherein the shock absorbing portion further comprises a hollow, cylindrical inner pipe: a cylindrical outer pipe, the outer diameter of the inner pipe being dimensioned to fit within the inner wall of outer pipe; a compressible inner pipe positioned within the inner pipe, extending between, and coupled to each of the first end and second end of shock absorber extension; and a tension outer spring positioned on the outside of outer pipe extending between, and coupled to each of the first end and second end of the shock absorber extension, inner spring serving to counteract the outer spring.
 15. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 14, further comprising a bar transversely welded to inner spring, each end of the bar extending through aligned slots in a portion of the side walls of inner pipe and outer pipe, operable to allow a user to compress the inner spring and outer spring, thus temporarily shortening the length of shock absorber extension.
 16. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 15, wherein the length of the inner pipe is substantially equivalent to that if the outer pipe.
 17. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 13, further comprising a release bar operable to remove the magnetic scaffold tie from a wall when the release bar is moved from a first position to a second position.
 18. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 11, wherein the magnets are selected form the group consisting of neodymium magnets and samarium-cobalt magnets.
 19. The magnetic scaffold tie of claim 11, wherein the scaffold coupling mechanism further comprises one selected from the group consisting of a clamp, a half clamp, a quick release clamp and a wedge head operable to engage a rosette.
 20. A method for anchoring a scaffold to a structure, comprising: coupling a magnetic member within a base platform to a structure; extending an extension member orthogonally from the base platform: coupling a clamp on a distal end of the extension member to a scaffold member. 